Getty Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins remains one of the most polarizing players in the NFL.
Cousins has more yards than Josh Allen, more touchdowns than Dak Prescott, fewer interceptions than Aaron Rodgers through 13 games this season. He has thrown the same number of touchdowns (27) as Patrick Mahomes with seven fewer interceptions.
He’s even shed his reputation as an empty-calorie stat padder with the Vikings never playing in garbage time this season. Cousins has executed game-winning drives in three of Minnesota’s six wins. Even in many of the Vikings’ losses, Cousins has put the Vikings in a position to win, boasting the second-best passer rating in the fourth quarter of one-score games of 112.9, behind only Rodgers.
And yet, Cousins still draws scrutiny across the NFL as the root of Minnesota’s 6-7 overall record.
An anonymous NFL executive disparaged Cousins in a recent Washington Post piece. Meanwhile, former NFL quarterback and NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms countered, arguing that Cousins is “grossly underappreciated.”
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NFL Exec: Cousins is ‘Overrated’ and ‘Just a Guy’
Cousins has garnered national headlines for his performance this year that has left general NFL observers once again at odds.
One NFL executive carried the prevailing narrative overshadowing Cousins — that he’s unable to win in the face of adversity.
“Kirk Cousins is overrated,” one NFL executive whose team played the Vikings this year and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to frankly discuss another team’s player, per Washington Post reporter Adam Kilgore. “He can’t finish. He’s a great guy. Takes it very seriously. He’s got the body, mind and spirit — he’s got all those things you want in that position. But he doesn’t have enough arm talent. There’s a reason why he was taken in the fourth round. He’s just a guy. When [stuff] breaks down and adversity strikes and you got to extend the play, he can’t do it.”
However, Cousins has won over some admirers in the NFL, including Simms, a former NFL quarterback.
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Simms: ‘You Can Win a Super Bowl With Cousins’
Simms offered an honest assessment that while Cousins is currently in the company of Allen and Mahomes statistically, the latter two quarterbacks can improvise and turn a broken play into a huge gain.
“But Kirk Cousins is at or near the top of the next group of guys down,” Simms said. “You can win a Super Bowl with Kirk Cousins. There’s no doubt about it. There’s certainly been less talented players to win Super Bowls.”
Cousins has led a Vikings offense that ranks ninth in expected points added per dropback through 14 weeks — a mark of a team that should securely be in the playoffs. However, the underachieving defense has contributed to a mediocre season so far.
Quarterback wins remain a statistic that can’t be ignored when assessing the most impactful position in the game. But the defense has let Cousins down several times after a late scoring drive — most recently their Week 13 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Simms argued that the offensive system has also failed Cousins, not allowing him to thrive by making quick reads:
Where he is really good, and what I would say is top-notch, is his ability to read and recognize a defense and assess the situation and pull the trigger and throw the ball as quickly as anybody in football. But their offense, it’s as simple as it gets. There’s a reason we see lulls in his play. You stop Dalvin Cook in the running game, their offense doesn’t have much to offer schematically that stresses any teams out.
They got like seven plays… It’s hard for him to look great because I would tell you the scheme doesn’t take advantage of all that he has to offer.
Simms & Exec Agree on One Thing…
While Simms and the anonymous executive are on opposite ends of their assessment of Cousin, they agreed that Cousins might not garner much trade interest.
While Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and San Francisco 49ers head coach have lauded Cousins, both secured their quarterbacks for the foreseeable future last offseason.
Quarterback-needy teams like the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers are rumored to be trade candidates next offseason. However, his polarizing reputation may not warrant a strong offer Minnesota would be willing to take.
“The NFL executive said, in his opinion, the Vikings would not be able to move him without swallowing money,” Kilgore wrote. “Simms also believes the Vikings would have difficulty moving Cousins, for a different reason: McVay and Shanahan already have longtime answers at quarterback, and other franchises would “chicken out” to make Cousins their quarterback because of his public reputation.”
Cousins carries the third-largest cap hit of any NFL quarterback next season with $45 million on the books for the soon-to-be 34-year-old quarterback, per OverTheCap. The Vikings are on the hook for his $10 million signing bonus — leaving a potential trade suitor to take on his $35 million base salary.